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Pomona, California

Encyclopedia : P : PO : POM : Pomona, California

Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California, at the western edge of the Pomona Valley branch of the Inland Empire region since nearly the entire part of the city is physically located east of the San Jose Hills. It may also be considered part of the San Gabriel Valley since it is at the easten edge of Los Angeles County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 149,473. In 2005, its population was estimated as 160,815 [link]. Pomona is the 5th largest city in Los Angeles County (after Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, and Santa Clarita).

Pomona is best known as the location of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). This university was established on the site of breakfast cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg's massive ranch located on the city's west side. It is also the home of the Los Angeles County fairgrounds. While a fair in the nation's most populous county might seem quaint, Cal Poly is one of several major agricultural research facilities in the state, and the fair's livestock exhibits are a noted attraction. (Other major California agriculture schools include California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Fresno State, UC Davis, and Chico State.)

Western University of Health Sciences is located in downtown Pomona, with programs ranging from veterinary medicine to nursing to osteopathic medicine.

Pomona is not, as is often assumed, the site of Pomona College. Although this elite liberal arts institution was founded in the city in 1887, its campus has been in neighboring Claremont since 1889.

Since the 1980's, Pomona's newest neighborhood Phillips Ranch, experienced rapid growth with demands of new housing units increased. Homes are still being built in the hilly area between Downtown and Diamond Bar. Today, Phillips Ranch is nearly all residential. Northern Pomona has seen some gentrification with additional housing units added and revamped streetscapes.

Contents

Geography

Pomona is located at [34°3′39″N, 117°45′21″W] (34.060760, -117.755886)[Geographic references#1GR1]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.2 km² (22.8 mi²), all land.

Pomona is bordered by the cities of San Dimas on the northwest, La Verne and Claremont on the north, Montclair and Chino on the east, Chino Hills and Diamond Bar on the south, and Walnut, South San Jose Hills, and Industry on the southwest. The Los Angeles/San Bernardino county line forms most of the city's southern and eastern boundaries . The Pomona; SR-60, Chino Valley; SR-71, San Bernardino; I-10, and Orange; SR-57 freeways run through the city. The Riverside and San Bernardino lines of the Metrolink commuter rail service also have stops in Pomona.

Population trends

History

The city is named for Pomona, the ancient Roman goddess of fruit. In typical Southern California fashion of the 1870s, boosters gave the town this name before a single orange tree had been planted within its boundaries. By the 1880s, however, the arrival of railroads and Coachella Valley water had made it the western anchor of the citrus-growing region that encompassed most of what is now known unofficially as the Inland Empire. Pomona was officially incorporated on January 1, 1888. Pomona is generally not identified as part of the Inland Empire (sometimes referred to as "the 909," although much of it has since received a new area code, "951") because it is in Los Angeles County, as opposed to being in Riverside or San Bernardino) Counties. However, because Pomona is part of the 909 telephone area code which includes many of the communities in the Inland Empire, and because of the San Jose Hills on Pomona's western city limit that creates a physical/psychological 'barrier' between Pomona and the rest of Los Angeles County, it would not be unusual to include Pomona within the definition of the Inland Empire. In 2005, Pomona citizens elected Norma Torres, the first woman of Guatemalan heritage outside of Guatemala to be elected to a mayoral post.

Demographics

Pomona is a very diverse city, with pockets of high-end housing near the Fairplex in the Ganesha Park neighborhood, well kept historic homes in the Lincoln Park, Wilton Heights, and Hacienda Park neighborhoods in the center of the city, and master planned development in the Phillips Ranch section. However, much of the southeastern part of Pomona is densely populated tracts of apartments and single family homes. These neighborhoods are fairly poor and often have high levels of gang activity, graffiti, and crime. The Downtown was moribund for decades, but has since experienced a resurgence with concert halls, nightclubs, and art galleries improving the area's nightlife. High priced lofts have been developed in the Downtown and are selling well. Downtown Pomona and other areas have trouble enticing commercial development because of the city's reputation for crime.

The majority of Pomona's population consist of Latinos, and the main industry is manufacturing. There is a historically significant concentration of blacks in the northern part of town, although many of them have continued to move to the east to places like Rialto and Riverside. Also, there is a fairly large Vietnamese American community located in south Pomona, including a Buddhist temple.

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 149,473 people, 37,855 households, and 29,791 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,526.8/km² (6,544.3/mi²). There were 39,598 housing units at an average density of 669.4/km² (1,733.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.76% White, 9.63% African American, 1.26% Native American, 7.20% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 34.93% from other races, and 5.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.47% of the population.

There were 37,855 households out of which 49.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.82 and the average family size was 4.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.

The total employment for Pomona as of 2005 is 57,870. The top employers include Pomona Unified School District, California State Polytechnic University, Hamilton Sundstrund, Pomona Valley Hospital and Lanterman Hospital.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,021, and the median income for a family was $40,852. Males had a median income of $30,195 versus $26,135 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,336. About 17.1% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Pomona is served by 3 mass transit systems including Metrolink, [Foothill Transit], and [Pomona Valley Transportation Authority].

Education

Pomona and some of the surrounding area are served by the Pomona Unified School District. Pomona has been criticized for its construction of Diamond Ranch High School in the city's more affluent area of Phillips Ranch while ignoring its other underperfoming high schools such as Garey, Ganesha and Pomona High Schools.

Trivia

Famous people born in Pomona

See also

External links

 

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